In this weekly
feature, I-CONnect publishes a curated reading list of developments in public
law. “Developments” may include a selection of links to news, high court
decisions, new or recent scholarly books and articles, and blog posts from
around the public law blogosphere.

The European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) held that Russia committed numerous human rights violations against Sergei Magnitsky, a lawyer who died in a Moscow prison in 2009 after complaining of maltreatment.

The Thailand Ombudsman challenged swearing-in ceremony of the PM and government officials before the Constitutional Court. The Cabinet of Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha failed to recite the complete oath of office, omitting the sentence: “I will also uphold and comply with the constitution of the kingdom in every aspect.”

The Supreme Court of Pakistan ordered disciplinary action against a judge who convicted former PM Nawaz Sharif.

The Supreme Court of India will hear challenges to a government order revoking the autonomy of contested Kashmir. The Court also allowed an opposition politician to visit the region that has been under lockdown for weeks.

The Supreme Court of South Korea will consider whether to uphold the bribery conviction of Jay Y. Lee, a Samsung heir, in a scandal that unseated former President Park Geun-hye.

In the
News

The UN Human Rights Committee found that
Nepal violated Articles 7 and 9 of the International Covenant on Civil and
Political Rights (ICCPR) in a case of a domestic worker, who claimed that he
was tortured and forced to work in Kathmandu from the age of 9.

Lawmakers in China adopted a new
legislation to allow local governments to tax up to 164 resources, including
fossil fuels, minerals and eventually water, at their own discretion.

The Queen of the United Kingdom approved a request
by PM Boris Johnson to suspend the Parliament for almost a month in the run-up
to Brexit. The attempt to suspend the Parliament has been challenged in
courts.

The President of Ukraine has submitted to the Parliament
several draft single-subject constitutional amendments, including a proposal to
reduce the number of MPs and introduce citizens’ legislative initiative. The
amendments were flagged as urgent for consideration of the Parliament, which
agreed to expediate the legislative
process.

The Parliament of North Korea approved constitutional
amendment to solidify leader Kim Jong Un’s role as head of state.

A Brazilian congressional committee approved a
proposed constitutional amendment to allow commercial agriculture on indigenous
reserves, a practice that is currently prohibited.

Philippine lawmakers introduced
legislation based loosely on a Netflix political thriller called the
“Designated Survivor” to ensure the country has a president in the case of a
constitutional leadership crisis.

New
Scholarship

Charles M. Fombad and Nico Steytler (eds), Decentralization
and Constitutionalism in Africa (2019) (exploring the objectives and
impact of decentralization initiatives in Africa and the conditions necessary
for their effective implementation)

The flagship journal of Gujarat National Law
University, the GNLU Law Review invites
submission for its 7th edition. The deadline for submissions is
December 15, 2019.

The European Society of International Law
(ESIL) at the European University Institute (EUI) invites
submissions for a conference on “Solidarity-The Quest for Founding Utopias of
International Law,” to be held on April 23-24, 2020. The deadline for
submission of abstracts is September 20, 2020.

The Rehnquist Center invites
submissions for the third annual National Conference of Constitutional Law
Scholars. The conference will be held at the Westward Look Resort in Tucson,
Arizona, on March 20-21, 2020. The deadline for submission of abstracts is
November 1, 2019.

The WZB Berlin Social Science Center invites
applications for a Research Fellow position (post-doc) at the Center for Global
Constitutionalism headed by Mattias Kumm. The deadline for applications is September
16, 2019.

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